Publication

2013 Humane Heartland™ Farm Animal Welfare Survey

We recognize that families have choices in what they wish to eat, but we believe that all animals – those in our homes, those serving in our nation’s military, those raised on our farms and ranches – deserve to be humanely treated.

Farm animal welfare is a growing issue in this country as values-driven consumers seek to better understand the role of animals in food production. Americans have always celebrated choice on a host of decisions, including what is served at family dinner tables. And for many families, animal protein remains a staple in their diets.

American Humane recently launched a survey to determine where consumers landed on the issue of humanely raised products. With over 2,600 survey participants, the results were fascinating:

89% stated they were very concerned about farm animal welfare.
34% stated that they were willing to pay 10-20% more for products that were labeled as humanely raised.
74% stated they were willing to pay more for humanely raised meat, dairy and eggs.
The humanely raised label was ranked as the highest in importance over organic, natural and antibiotic free.

Our American Humane Certified™ farm animal welfare program, the nation’s first, largest and fastest-growing independent third-party audit program dedicated to the humane treatment of farm animals, now has reached a milestone with one billion animals audited under the science-based certification standards. Major strides have been made in a few short years to ensure the health and welfare of farm animals, as this now represents 10% of animals raised on American farms and ranches. We will continue our work with progressive, forward-looking producers to bring these vital protections to all animals in U.S. agriculture.